


Neighbour

by Qayin



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Cute, Dead Scott McCall (Teen Wolf), Deputy Derek Hale, FBI Agent Stiles Stilinski, M/M, Scott is Liam's dad, Stiles is Liam's adopted father
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-14 21:07:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29052630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Qayin/pseuds/Qayin
Summary: Derek’s new neighbour was really annoying. Derek’s old neighbour had been perfect. Eighteen months Derek had lived in his apartment, and he hadn’t spoken to his old neighbour even once. The few times they met in the corridors the most Derek’s old neighbour did was to give him a polite nod before they went their separate ways.Derek’s new neighbour did not have good neighbour etiquette. To start, a polite nod was not enough. Derek made the mistake of nodding at him, and his new neighbour took that as an invite to strike up conversation instead of politely nod back.“Hi, I’m Stiles,” he had said cheerfully and thrust his hand out for Derek to shake. Derek had stared at it in shock, but his new neighbour didn’t seem bothered by it. He just smiled wider, more of a grin than anything else. “Firm handshake you’ve got there.”
Relationships: Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski, Lydia Martin/Jordan Parrish
Comments: 19
Kudos: 352





	Neighbour

Derek’s new neighbour was really annoying. Derek’s old neighbour had been perfect. Eighteen months Derek had lived in his apartment, and he hadn’t spoken to his old neighbour even once. The few times they met in the corridors the most Derek’s old neighbour did was to give him a polite nod before they went their separate ways. 

Derek’s new neighbour did not have good neighbour etiquette. To start, a polite nod was not enough. Derek made the mistake of nodding at him, and his new neighbour took that as an invite to strike up conversation instead of politely nod back. 

“Hi, I’m Stiles,” he had said cheerfully and thrust his hand out for Derek to shake. Derek had stared at it in shock, but his new neighbour didn’t seem bothered by it. He just smiled wider, more of a grin than anything else. “Firm handshake you’ve got there.” 

“I just moved in,”  _ Stiles _ said and gestured to the door he had just stepped out of. Derek nodded, because that much was obvious. “What’s your name?”

Derek hesitated, then he glanced down the corridor, hoping that something would rescue him. Alas, nothing happened. 

“Derek,” Derek said miserably. Stiles grinned brightly. 

“Nice to meet you, Derek,” he said and locked his door. “I’m sorry, I have to go, but talk to you later, yeah?” 

Definitely not, Derek thought and fled back into his apartment. 

God, he was going to miss his old neighbour. 

* * *

Derek had almost forgotten his new neighbour — he hadn’t played loud music, nor thrown huge parties, and he had not cornered Derek in the hallway again — when he suddenly appeared in Derek’s favourite coffee shop. Next to Derek’s table, where he was reading, alone. Holding a cup of coffee in one hand and a bag in the other. 

“Hey, neighbour Derek, right?” Stiles said cheerfully. Derek frowned and blinked at him. Stiles sat down opposite of him completely uninvited and grinned at him. “I’m Stiles, your new neighbour, remember?” 

Derek raised an eyebrow and glared at him. Stiles kept smiling and pulled forth a laptop from his bag. 

“You don’t talk much, do you?” Stiles said and opened it. “That’s alright, my winning personality will eventually get you to open up to me.” 

“Are you following me?” Derek asked. Stiles actually looked up from his laptop and stopped smiling for a second. Derek saw his eyes widen and he quickly looked around. 

“Oh, god, no -” he said hurriedly. Worriedly, Derek realized. “Definitely not, I’m so sorry, I just — I mean, I recognized you and all the tables are full and -” 

Stiles snapped his laptop shut with a bang. 

“I’ll leave.” Derek watched him and glanced around, and the other tables were indeed taken. 

“No,” Derek said. “You can stay.” 

Stiles blinked, but he slowly reopened his laptop and shot Derek a nervous glance. “I’m not stalking you.” 

“Okay.” Derek said and looked down in his book again. 

The silence lasted for about a minute before Stiles looked over his laptop at Derek. 

“So, what do you do for a living?” 

Derek glanced up and raised an eyebrow. Stiles watched him patiently and grinned. 

“Sounds like a question a stalker would ask,” Derek said darkly. 

“Well then obviously I’m not a very good one if I don’t even know what you work with,” Stiles snarked back. Derek scoffed and lowered his book. 

“I am a deputy.” 

“Cool.” said Stiles and waited. Derek looked back down on his book. “This is when you’re supposed to ask me what I do for a living.” 

“Nope,” Derek said. “Don’t want to know.” 

“Uh, rude,” said Stiles cheerfully. “I’m an FBI agent.” 

Derek looked back at him. Stiles was fit, but he didn’t look like  _ fit-fit _ , nor trained in any lethal capacity. He looked kind of geeky, if Derek was honest with him. 

“No you’re not,” Derek said. 

“How do you know, are you stalking me?” Stiles smirked. Derek scoffed and turned back to his book. 

Stiles returned to his laptop and it seemed like writing on it actually shut him up because he stopped pestering Derek for about half an hour before Stiles’ phone went off. 

“Special Agent Stilinski,” he answered curtly. His voice toughened up, turned professional. Derek looked up in surprise. It was almost like a completely different man sat in front of him now. If said man hadn’t been dressed in a comic book t-shirt with plaid over Derek might have almost taken him seriously. 

Stiles listened to whatever was said over the line and glanced at his watch. “I can be there in forty minutes.” 

He cut the call and gave Derek an apologetic look. 

“Sorry, I have to go,” he said and shoved his laptop back into his backpack. 

“You’re really an FBI-agent?” Derek asked. Stiles grinned mischievously. 

“You really a deputy?” he shot back. Derek didn’t know if he should be provoked or not, but he pulled out his badge and showed it. Stiles leaned over the table and inspected it seriously, then he grinned, pulled out his own and flashed a very real-looking FBI-badge. 

“I’ll see you around, Deputy Neighbour,” Stiles said, drank the last of his coffee with a big gulp and left the shop. Derek stared after him with a frown. 

Special Agent Stilinski. As in related to Sheriff Stilinski? It wasn’t like Stilinski was a common name, after all. He made a mental note to ask around a little once he got to work. 

* * *

Derek did not get the chance to ask around after special agent Stilinski when he got to work, because he was immediately called out, and after that his new neighbour slipped his mind until the next time he ran into him. In the supermarket. Derek had a basket with some vegetables, a pre-grilled chicken and some protein powder, Stiles, however, had an entire cart overstuffed with all kinds of random assortments. A brand of sugary cereals made for kids were at the top of the pile. 

Stiles was also sliding down the aisles on the cart, and he almost went straight into Derek before he had the chance to stop. 

“Hey, Deputy Neighbour,” Stiles said with a grin. He seemed mildly unaffected by the fact he had almost run Derek over. 

“Derek,” Derek said darkly. 

“I remember,” Stiles said cheerfully. “Sorry that I just bailed like that last time.” 

Derek frowned for a second, then he remembered the coffee shop. He shrugged. It wasn’t like they had gone there together. Derek didn’t care if his strange neighbour had to go to work or not. 

“So, are you doing something over the holidays?” Stiles asked and started walking along with Derek. Derek glanced at him and frowned deeper. 

“No,” he said. 

“Don’t celebrate, huh?” Stiles said. Everything about him was so cheerful, and it was frustrating. Derek gritted his teeth and shot him a dark look. 

“I don’t have any family,” he snapped. That would shut him up. Stiles did pause for a second, and while his expression changed he didn’t seem that bothered by it, not like other people became whenever Derek brought up his dead family. 

“My condolences,” he said. “But you’re going to the annual sheriff’s department’s Christmas party, right?” 

Derek stopped and blinked. How did Stiles know - 

“You’re the sheriff’s son, right?” Derek asked. Stiles nodded and tossed down five bottles of ketchup in his cart. 

“Yep,” he said, making the P pop loudly in the almost empty store. “So, you’re going, right?” 

“Yeah,” Derek said and frowned. He hadn’t gone in the last two years because… well, Derek had always been a bit of a loner since the death of his family, and he had been wallowing in misery whenever holidays came up, but this year Parrish and Clark had worn him down until he agreed to come. And Sheriff Stilinski had smiled and clasped him on the shoulder warmly when he did, like he cared whether Derek was there at the Christmas party or not. 

“Great!” Stiles said brightly. “Maybe we could ride together.”

“I — sure?” Derek asked, confused. Stiles beamed at him. 

“Okay. Around four on Saturday, then?” Stiles asked. Derek nodded. Stiles grinned at him again and nodded. “Until then, Deputy Neighbour.” 

Stiles pushed off on the cart again and sailed towards the registers. Derek watched him disappear and heard what sounded suspiciously like Stiles ran the cart into something. He glanced around in the store, but no one else seemed to realize just how weird reality was right now. 

* * *

Derek was in the process of styling his hair when there was a knock on the door. He didn’t know why, but Derek was nervous. He was nervous about going to the Christmas party, even though he knew all his co-workers, and he was nervous about the fact he was going there with Special Agent Stilinski. 

It’s because you don’t know your co-workers partners, Derek tried to calm himself. That was probably it. He gave his hair one last glare and moved to open the door. 

In the corridor, Stiles stood in his winter coat. There was also a little kid with him, a blond boy around six years old. Stiles grinned brightly at him while the kid observed him hesitantly. 

“Hey Deputy Derek,” Stiles said. 

“Hi,” Derek said and glanced at the kid. “I didn’t know you had -” 

Derek stopped. What? A kid? That’s a weird thing to say. Stiles however just smiled wider and placed a hand on the kid’s head. 

“You thought I just love ketchup?” Stiles asked and shook his head amused. “This is Liam. Liam, this is our neighbour Derek. He works with Noah.” 

“Hi,” Liam said gruffly. 

“Hey,” said Derek. Stiles grinned. 

“Are you ready to go?” he asked. Derek nodded and grabbed his jacket and his keys, then stepped out into the corridor and locked. 

“Do you have a gun?” Liam asked. Derek glanced down at him. 

“Not on me right now,” he said. 

“Stiles has a gun,” Liam said. Stiles scoffed. 

“It’s locked in the safe,” Stiles said fondly and took Liam’s hand. “We’re going to a party, we don’t need guns.” 

“That’s boring,” Liam said sadly. The tone suggested that he thought guns were always needed. He turned his bright blue eyes at Derek and frowned at him. “Have you ever killed anyone?” 

“Jesus Christ, kid,” Stiles laughed. “Build up a bit of repertoire before you go in on the heavy questions.” 

Liam stopped asking questions then, and they rode all the way down to the garage. Stiles offered to drive, so they climbed into an old, baby-blue jeep. Liam sat in the back and started playing on Stiles’ phone. Derek buckled his seatbelt and glanced at Stiles. 

“He calls you Stiles, not dad?” he asked hesitantly. Stiles glanced over to him quickly, for a moment appearing surprised before he smiled, but it seemed a little stiff. 

“Uh, yeah,” he said silently and started driving. “Liam’s my godson.” 

Stiles didn’t say anything about what happened to Liam’s parents, and Derek didn’t push it. He glanced back at Liam who gave him a glare before he looked back to the phone. 

* * *

The moment they reached the party Sheriff Stilinski came to meet them. Stiles tossed his arms around him and gave him a big hug. 

“Hey Dad,” he said and squeezed. 

“Hey kid,” the sheriff said and pulled away. “Hey Liam, want a hug?” 

Liam shifted on his feet, then stepped up and quickly hugged the sheriff. “Hi Noah.” 

“There are those cookies that you like over at the buffet table,” the Sheriff whispered in a conspirator tone. Liam brightened up and ran over to the buffet. The sheriff straightened up and grasped Derek’s shoulder warmly. “Hale, glad you could make it.” 

“Yeah,” Derek said awkwardly. Stiles grinned and looked around, then he made a squeal. 

“Lydia!” he shouted and bounced off to hug a strawberry-blonde woman in a smart pant-suit. Apparently Stiles knew all of Derek’s co-workers’ partners, because after he was done hugging the woman he hugged Parrish who stood next to them. 

Derek went awkwardly over to the buffet table. He wasn’t good with mingling. Liam was still there, so when Derek arrived he glanced up at him and nibbled on a cookie. 

“So  _ have _ you killed anyone?” Liam asked. Derek frowned. 

“Yes,” he said. Liam seemed satisfied with the answer. 

It had probably to do with Liam, but Stiles arrived shortly after and dragged both Derek and Liam into the conversation he was having with Parrish and Lydia. Stiles explained in overwhelming detail how Lydia and he had been a couple before Parrish arrived and stole Lydia away from him.

Lydia rolled her eyes and Parrish laughed and clasped Stiles on the shoulder, so Derek figured it wasn’t as dramatic as Stiles’ retelling made it sound. 

“I had a ten-year-plan and everything,” Stiles pouted. Lydia scoffed and Stiles put a hand over his heart. “Hey, don’t wreck the plan, it worked!” 

“Well, maybe you should have included how to keep me in the plan,” said Lydia. Stiles tilted his head. 

“That’s… actually a good suggestion; I’ll add that to my next partner-plan.” he said and smiled. Lydia shook her head but smiled fondly at him. Parrish laughed again and offered Derek a beer. 

It was… odd, but Derek was slowly relaxing. He might even say that he had fun. 

* * *

The party carried on well after midnight, and Liam and Hewitt’s son Mason were asleep on couches when it was time to leave. Stiles picked Liam up without waking him and Derek held open the doors for them. 

They got back to the car and Stiles got Liam’s seatbelt on before he bounced into the driver's seat. Derek heard Liam mumble something, and then make a loud snore. Stiles grinned at Derek and started driving. 

“It’s okay if you ask, you know,” Stiles said silently. Derek glanced at him confused. Stiles nodded back to Liam. “His dad, Scott, was my best friend. They were driving home from the movies and it was raining a lot. Car flipped around. Scott and Allison died on impact, and Scott’s mom and Allison’s dad died in the hospital.

“Liam survived without a scratch because he was in one of those baby-seats. First responder said it was a miracle because the car was wrecked.” 

“Jesus,” Derek said. Stiles hummed. “How old was he, then?” 

“Three.” Stiles said. Derek looked at his profile as he drove and hesitated. 

“How old were you?” Stiles actually laughed then and glanced his way. 

“28.” 

“Must have been tough.” Derek said and fiddled with a thread that was poking out through his jeans. “Must  _ be _ tough.” 

“I have a lot of help,” said Stiles casually. “Lydia and Parrish; and my dad. Liam has a granddad, but he — uh, he isn’t in the right place to take care of him.” 

Derek didn’t know what to say to that, so he shut his mouth and allowed Stiles to talk nonsense over him all the way home. 

When they were supposed to go into their separate places, Stiles with Liam in his arms, Stiles turned and gave Derek a wide smile. 

“I had fun,” he said. “We should hang out again, sometime.” 

Derek blinked. “I — yeah, okay.” 

Stiles grinned and slipped into his place. Derek quickly hurried to do the same. 

* * *

“So, Liam,” said Parrish and sat down next to Derek. For a second Derek thought he meant that his name was Liam, but then he realized he was talking about Liam, Derek’s neighbour. That didn’t make the conversation topic any more obvious, but Parrish had a kind smile on his face. Everything about Parrish was kind, which is why Derek and he rarely interacted, because very little about Derek was kind. “Good kid.” 

“Seems like it,” Derek said hesitantly. 

“Did he ask you if you have ever killed anyone?” Parrish asked. Derek nodded and Parrish shook his head like this was common practice. “Yeah, he’s pretty big on those marvel-movies right now — action and guns are all the range.” 

“Isn’t he a little young for that?” Derek asked. Parrish shrugged. 

“Why, what did you like when you were six?” 

Derek frowned. Why were they even having this conversation? 

“Um, teenage mutant ninja turtles?” Derek said. He honestly didn’t remember if he was into that when he was six. He barely remembered anything from his childhood. His therapist said that was a survival technique. 

“They have swords,” Parrish said and grinned. Derek shrugged. “I didn’t know you knew Stiles.” 

“I don’t,” Derek said and frowned deeper. At Parrish confused look he supplied a little context. “We’re neighbours.” 

“Oh,” Parrish said, sounding a little down. “Too bad, you’d make a good couple.” 

Derek coughed on his lunch, and Parrish smiled. 

“Not just me who think so, Lydia said so as well.” 

Derek fought the blush from creeping up on his face and to keep his face neutral. “Well, we don’t know each other.” 

Parrish just hummed and ate his stupid prawn sandwich. Who the fuck eats a prawn sandwich for lunch? 

* * *

Derek was making his way to the elevator, on his way to work, when Stiles stepped out from the elevator. He was in a suit, which looked a little odd, but hey, Derek was in his uniform. Stiles’ eyes latched onto Derek and Stiles took a double take and stepped back into the elevator. Derek frowned, stepped in and nodded to him. 

“Garage?” Stiles asked, a little too high-pitched for comfort. Derek just nodded. Stiles pressed the button and glanced at Derek’s uniform. “Going to work?” 

Derek gave him a look that said  _ ‘obviously’ _ and Stiles nodded and definitely looked at Derek’s chest before he tore his eyes away from him. 

“Weren’t you going home?” Derek asked, feeling amused besides himself. 

“I forgot something in the car,” Stiles lied smoothly, but it was still a lie. Derek could just tell. The elevator was in silence for a moment, then Derek looked back at him and grinned. 

“You know your dad wears a uniform like this, right?” he asked. Stiles’ face turned red like a beet, but he flicked his head, going for casual. 

“Yes?” he asked and looked at the uniform like he didn’t know why they were talking about it. Derek shrugged casually and shook his head. Stiles burst out of the elevator once the doors opened and ran over to his car. 

Derek went at a slower pace to his, but he couldn’t help but notice that Stiles didn’t go back to the elevator before Derek had jumped in and started his own. 

* * *

The knock on the door took Derek by surprise. It was early, for one. The clock said 4.58, and Derek didn’t know anybody. Or, well, he didn’t know anyone who would be knocking on his door at 5 in the morning. 

Derek rolled out of bed and padded over to the door. In the peephole he saw Stiles, dressed in a black suit. He frowned and opened. 

“Oh my god, I am so sorry,” Stiles said the moment the door swung open, “but I have no one else to ask. I just got called into work, and Liam’s usual baby-sitter is ill — stomach flu — and dad was on his way, but then there was this accident on O-78 and a huge traffic jam and I really need to go.” 

They blinked at each other. Stiles did look like he was near a panic. 

“You want me to baby-sit Liam?” Derek asked hesitantly. 

“Would you?” Stiles asked hopefully. “Only until dad can get through traffic.” 

“Um,” Derek started. Stiles looked so hopeful. “Sure.” 

Stiles brightened up and latched onto Derek’s shoulders. 

“You are a life-saver, dude!” he said, then he pulled away and handed Derek Stiles’ keys. “I owe you, big time.” 

Derek took the keys hesitantly. Stiles was already running towards the elevator. 

“Dad’ll come as quick as he can — if Liam wakes tell him I had to go to work; do not let him trick you into eating the Nesquik cereal, they are for family bonding time.” Stiles jumped into the elevator, waved to Derek, then the doors closed on his face. Derek blinked, went and changed quickly out of his pyjamas, and went over to Stiles’ apartment. 

The flat was just like Derek’s, but mirrored. Where Derek had an office/home gym Stiles’ had Liam’s bedroom, and Stiles and Derek had the same position of bedroom. The living room was cosy, if a little cluttered, and in the kitchen there were left-over pizza still out on the counter. 

Derek looked around hesitantly, wondering what he should do in someone else's apartment at five in the morning while their kid was sleeping in the other room. Eventually he decided to sit down and watch some TV. 

“Where’s Stiles?” Liam suddenly asked behind him. Derek hadn’t heard him come over, so he jumped on the couch. Liam grinned at that. 

“Uh, he had to go to work,” Derek said. 

“Oh.” Liam sat down next to him on the couch. “Where’s Sarah?” 

“I don’t know who Sarah is,” Derek said. Liam rolled his eyes like that much was obvious. 

“She’s my babysitter.” Ah. 

“Sarah has the flu.” Liam made a face and leaned back. 

“Can we watch cartoons?” Liam asked. 

Derek flipped through the channels until they ended up on Scooby-Doo. He hesitated for a moment. 

“Are you hungry?” he asked. Liam glanced thoughtfully at him. 

“I want cereal.” 

Derek nodded and walked over to inspect the kitchen. The only cereal he found were the ones Stiles said he shouldn’t let Liam have. 

“There aren’t any cereal,” Derek said. Liam didn’t take his eyes off the TV. 

“I want cereal.”

Derek frowned and searched through the kitchen for something else. His own stomach growled and he hesitated just for a moment. 

“I could make eggs and bacon,” he said. Liam actually looked at him then, with a surprised but excited expression. 

“Okay,” he said. 

Derek cooked up breakfast while Liam watched Scooby-Doo hunt for werewolves, then they ate in front of the TV. Liam poured out a hefty amount of ketchup on his eggs.

“I think a werewolf would win over a vampire,” Liam said thoughtfully, in regard to what was happening on screen. A vampire had jumped down from a balcony, and the werewolf was struggling to get it off. Shaggy and Scooby was running away in panic. Derek nodded. 

“I think so, too.” he said. “It’s the night of the full moon, werewolves are at their strongest then.” 

“Yeah, and werewolves eat people, and vampires just drink blood.” said Liam. 

“I hadn’t thought about that,” Derek said honestly. Liam nodded, looking wiser beyond his years. 

* * *

It went a week before Stiles reappeared at Derek’s door. This time he was dressed casually in a DC-comics tee and a pair of ripped jeans. He also had pizza and beer with him, so obviously Derek let him in. 

“You are a life-saver,” Stiles said, waltzed over to Derek’s living room table and plopped the pizza down. He tossed himself onto the couch like he had done that a million times before and sighed contently. 

Derek closed the door and went over. “Where’s Liam?” 

“At Lydia’s, they’re having a sleep-over.” Stiles smiled and shoved a beer into Derek’s hand. “Seriously, dude, I don’t know what I would have done without you.” 

“That’s alright,” Derek said, feeling a bit self-conscious now. 

“Meat Lover.” Stiles said. 

“What?” Derek asked. Stiles pointed at the pizza. 

“Meat Lover,” he said again. Derek’s eyes widened. 

“Oh.” 

Stiles grinned, opened up the pizza box and grabbed himself a slice. 

“You wouldn’t believe the weird-ass case I’ve been on,” Stiles said and shook his head. “This woman’s been missing for years, since she was a little kid, it’s a cold case, people assume her body’s been dragged off and eaten by coyotes because the rest of the family were pretty savagely mauled after death. Then, she shows up. Kind of fine. I mean — obviously not  _ fine _ , but alive. 

“And it turns out that the car accident was not an accident, because get this, the woman’s biological mother is a freaking assassin who came and rammed the car off the road and stole the girl.” 

“That do sound crazy.” Derek said. Stiles nodded and sipped his beer. 

“Oh, it gets weirder,” he said. “Turns out, the only reason the woman gets away is because her mother’s losing her mind; thinking that her daughter is ‘stealing her powers’, to, get this, turn into a coyote.” 

“Wow.” 

“Yeah.” Stiles said. “Freaking nuts.” 

“Well, I escorted a man who said he blew up a school bus full of kids because they had glowing eyes to court.” Derek said. Stiles grimaced. 

“Jesus.” 

Derek nodded and took another slice of pizza. 

* * *

Derek was half-way through his rapport when Liam burst in through the station and bounded over to his desk. 

“Hey, Derek,” Liam shouted the way kids sometimes do, when they obviously can’t tell how loud they’re really being. Behind him at a slower pace came Stiles, who grinned at him when Derek glanced up at saw him. 

“Hey Liam,” Derek replied. Liam stopped and blinked innocently at him. 

“Can I see your gun?” 

“No,” said Derek. Liam made a face. 

“Noah lets me see his gun,” he tried. 

“Well go to the sheriff, then,” Derek said. 

“So rude, denying a child’s wish like that,” Stiles teased and put down a bag of food in front of him. Derek frowned in confusion. “We’ve brought some food for dad, and I’d figure I’d get you some, too.” 

“I — thanks?” 

“Hey, Stiles, did you bring food for me too?” Parrish asked. Stiles scoffed and placed a hand over his heart. 

“After you completely shot down my advances  _ and _ stole Lydia Martin, the light of my life, goddess of all that is good, from me?” He laughed. “Get your own food, Parrish.” 

Parrish laughed and Stiles grinned at Derek. 

“I’ll give this to dad,” he said and walked over to the sheriff’s office with the second bag, but once he had handed it off he returned to Derek’s desk and pulled up two chairs for Liam and him. Derek raised an eyebrow as Stiles pulled out the food. 

“Aren’t you going to eat with the sheriff?” Derek asked. Stiles scoffed. 

“Uh, no way. He’ll just whine that it’s quinoa and tofu and talk about he’s a real man who eats burgers.” The last part Stiles shouted, and Derek saw that the message reached Stilinski’s office. Stiles grinned, pulled forth a bottle of ketchup and poured it all over Liam’s plate. 

“I like tofu,” Liam said cheerfully. 

“That’s the spirit, buddy,” Stiles said. 

* * *

“Hey, Derek, wait up!” Stiles called out behind him and jogged up next to him. Derek just nodded and kept walking down the street. Stiles was dressed casually, which meant he was off-duty. “Where are you going?” 

Derek glanced down at his jog-outfit and gave Stiles a  _ ‘where do you think?’ _ look. Stiles nodded and hummed in the back of his throat. 

“So, remember that time when I said I had a ten-year plan on how to woo Lydia Martin in high school?” 

“Yeah.” Derek scoffed. 

“Yeah, well, I have a plan to woo someone else, and I was discussing it with Lydia, to get some pointers on where I could improve on my awesome plan-making-skills, you know?” Stiles was rambling, and he looked worked up, and there was this nervous energy that bounced off of him and made Derek want to run to get rid of it. “And Lydia said,  _ ‘why don’t you forgo making all of these steps, and just ask them if they want to go out on a coffee or something?’ _ and I said,  _ ‘Lydia, you obviously don’t understand the importance of planning;’  _ but she was relentless and she made me promise that I would ask about the coffee first, and then start the plan.” 

“Uh huh,” Derek said. Stiles rubbed his palms over his jeans and glanced at Derek. 

“So, uh, do you want to go out on a coffee or something, sometime?” he said. Derek stopped and looked at him. That seemed to make Stiles incredibly nervous, because he glanced over traffic like he considered making a break for it. 

“Like a date?” Derek asked. “Or is this you practising asking someone out?” 

“I — uh, no, I mean, like a date.” Stiles said. “Like, you and me.” 

They watched each other and Derek tilted his head. 

“Okay.” he said. Stiles looked like he was ready for rejection, so his face went through several funny reactions before he seemed to understand what he said. 

“Really?” he said eventually and grinned. Derek nodded. 

“Yeah.” Stiles’ face did that thing where it beamed and he nodded excitedly. 

“Yeah, okay, Saturday, four o’clock?” 

“Sure.” Derek smiled. Stiles bounced a little on his feet and jabbed his thumb over his shoulder. 

“Okay. I’m gonna…” Stiles turned back and started walking back. Derek saw him look over his shoulder back at him, but then again, so did Derek. 

Maybe his new neighbour wasn’t so bad after all. 

**Author's Note:**

> I just wanted to write something cute, and this is what came out. Please leave a comment or feedback, it's the only way I'm functioning after 2020. xD


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